Beltway Spin Podcasts

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel Calls Out Corporate Media

﻿There was a great exchange on Friday's Morning Joe program between host Joe Scarborough and The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel. She takes on the corporate media about their commentary and how disconnected it is from average American sentiment. Scarborough attempts to excoriate her when she challenges the beltway "conventional wisdom" and the very narrow prism that issues facing our nation today are debated by the punditry class.

What are the facts?

Beltway Spin Of The Day

Subject: President Obama's three-year gradual withdrawal plan for troops from the Afghanistan War. Some in the media apparently believe that a three-year gradual withdrawal through 2014 is just too fast a withdrawal. Here are a few examples of this meme.

"Why didn't Obama listen to Patraeus?"-CNN-David Gergen; "Since the President is rushing the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan"-Good Morning America-George Stephanoupolis.

Political Shout Of The Day

Subject:Minnesota Governor, Mark Dayton, is ready to end the state shutdown. The state government was shutdown two weeks ago when the Democractic Governor and the GOP lead state legislator could not reach a budget agreement. Dayton moved to end the shutdown today by accepting the GOP proposal that would delay school funding and borrow against future revenues to close its $1.4 billion dollar budget shortfall. In exchange, the GOP legislature must drop demand to cut 15% of the Minnesota state work-force.

"Minnesota residents should start the process of recalling the Republicans who are willing to shut down the government to still give more to the wealthiest Americans."

"Republicans have gone completely nuts snce President Obama took office why is that?"